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Digital Cameras for Yearbook
SniperGuy
SniperGuyGamingRegistered User regular
SniperGuyGamingRegistered User regular
Hi everyone, trying to find some digital cameras for a yearbook club I'm helping out with. Need a few and budget should cover them, so looking to get a few in the 150ish dollar price range. Can waffle on that a little, but not too much.
Would like it to be a reputable brand with a warranty if possible and decent auto settings for sports and general photo taking.
Any suggestions? Been out of the loop on digital cameras for a while since phones have gotten good, but we need some dedicated for cameras.
Thanks!
Would like it to be a reputable brand with a warranty if possible and decent auto settings for sports and general photo taking.
Any suggestions? Been out of the loop on digital cameras for a while since phones have gotten good, but we need some dedicated for cameras.
Thanks!
0
Posts
To be better than a cellphone, you want a larger sensor (for less noise, better handling of low light), a good tracking autofocus (for sharp action/sports photos) and good lenses (mainly for low light conditions, like school plays/concerts).
Personally, I would be looking at a good DSLR, like a Canon T5, made in 2013 (aka, not the latest model, but not too old either), for about $350 with the kit zoom lens, knowing that you'll probably buy specialty lens next year (a telephoto zoom for sports & an F1.8 prime lens for school plays/concerts). Note that the T5 is still an entry level DSLR, so lots of really useful features in Canon's higher end cameras just aren't there, but it should work "well enough" for a school yearbook student photographer, and noticeably better than their cellphone.
But if $350 is out of your price range, your best bet is a used, discontinued DSLR in good condition from say 2011, like the Canon T3, which you should be able to find for $150 to $200 with a kit zoom lens on ebay.
None of my photographers are advanced enough to need any kind of fancy lenses. Auto settings are perfectly fine.
Obviously it's not going to deliver dSLR quality photos but definitely a ton better than smartphones and is easy to use. It also has a great zoom range. I think you can get a used one for under $200.
There are other options that should get you a 1/2.3" sensor and a 10X+ optical zoom, but I'd stick with the major brands as they'll have better image processing. Would pair this with some training of your shooters on composition, positioning such as to get the best lighting, and how to use at least partial manual controls, since that will get them dramatically improved images no matter what camera they use.
Either way, might consider a GoPro Hero+ as one of the cameras for some unique photo opportunities.